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ByMaryClareJalonick TheAssociatedPress WASHINGTON There are a lot fewer trans fats in the nation's food than there were a decade ago, but the Obama administration is moving toward getting rid of them almost entirely. The Food and Drug Ad- ministration says Ameri- cans still eat about a gram of trans fat every day, and phasing it out could pre- vent 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths each year. The FDA originally pro- posed in November 2013 to phase out artificial trans fats over time. The agency says it will make a final de- cision by June 15. Five things to know about trans fats and the government's proposed ef- fort to get rid of them: Worstkindoffat Scientists say there are no health benefits to trans fats, which are used in pro- cessing food and in restau- rants, usually to improve texture, shelf life or flavor. Trans fats can raise lev- els of "bad" cholesterol and lower "good" cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Trans fats are widely considered the worst kind for your heart, even worse than saturated fats, which also can contribute to heart disease. The fats are created when hydrogen is added to veg- etable oil to make it more solid, which is why they are often called partially hydro- genated oils. No blanket ban To phase the fats out, the FDA made a preliminary determination in 2013 that trans fats no longer fall in the agency's "generally rec- ognized as safe" category, which covers thousands of additives that manufactur- ers can add to foods with- out FDA review. Once trans fats are off that list, any company that wants to use them would have to petition the agency to allow it. That would phase them out al- most completely, since not many uses are likely to be allowed. FDA officials said the agency may phase the fats out more quickly for some foods than others, depending on how easy it is to find substitutes. The FDA has not targeted small amounts of trans fats that occur naturally in some meat and dairy products, because they would be too difficult to remove and aren't considered a ma- jor public health threat on their own. Worst offenders Think baked goods, mi- crowave popcorn and fried foods. Over the years, trans fats have been most plenti- ful in foods like frostings, which need solid fat for tex- ture, or in those that need a longer shelf life or fla- vor enhancement. Popular foods that have historically contained trans fats are pie crusts, biscuits, microwave popcorn, coffee creamers, frozen pizza, refrigerated dough, vegetable shorten- ings and stick margarines. Trans fats also have been used by restaurants for fry- ing. Many larger chains have stopped using them, but smaller restaurants may still get food contain- ing trans fats from suppli- ers. Most is already gone The Grocery Manufactur- ers Association, the main trade group for the food in- dustry, says that food man- ufacturers have voluntarily lowered the amounts of trans fats in their products by 86 percent since 2003. Food companies are using other types of oils to replace them. That reduction was helped along by FDA's de- cision to force labeling of trans fats on food pack- ages in 2006. There have also been local laws, like one in New York City, ban- ning the fats. Retailers like Wal-Mart have reduced the amount they sell. Industry to ask for exceptions The Grocery Manufac- turers Association is work- ing with food companies on a petition that would ask the FDA to determine if there is a "reasonable certainty of no harm" from some specific uses of the fats. A spokesman for the group would not specify what the industry plans to ask for, but said the FDA en- couraged food companies to submit a petition. The advocacy group Cen- ter for Science in the Pub- lic Interest first petitioned FDA to ban trans fats 11 years ago. The group's di- rector, Michael Jacobson, praised the industry's ef- forts so far in reducing the fats but said federal action is necessary. A phase out would be "the single most important thing the FDA has done about the healthfulness of our food supply," Jacobson said. HEALTHY FOOD M.SPENCERGREEN—ASSOCIATEDPRESS There are a lot fewer trans fats in the nation's food than there were a decade ago, but the Obama administration is moving toward getting rid of them almost entirely. The Food and Drug Administration says Americans still eat about a gram of trans fat every day, and phasing it out could prevent 20,000heart attacks and 7,000deaths each year. By Jesse J. Holland The Associated Press WASHINGTON Non-His- panic whites with Ameri- can Indian ancestry make up a full half of the cur- rent population of mixed- race Americans but are among the least likely to say that they are multira- cial, according to a study released Thursday. This population is also the more likely to be Re- publican-leaning and con- servative than the rest of the multiracial population, finds the study by the Pew Research Center. But they may someday be eclipsed by other multiracial Amer- icans, with the majority of mixed-race babies born in 2013 being either biracial white and black or biracial white and Asian. The Census Bureau esti- mates the number of mul- tiracial Americans at 2.1 percent of the adult pop- ulation. During its survey, Pew asked people about their race, the race of their parents and the race of their grandparents. With those numbers, however, the "Multiracial in Amer- ica" report finds that 6.9 percent of the population in the United States is of mixed race. That's a big jump from the past and points to a population that is expected to grow, said Kim Parker, Pew's director of social trends research. In 1970, among babies living with two parents, only 1 percent had parents who were dif- ferent races from each other. By 2013, that share had risen to 10 percent. "From 2000-2010 that multiracial population grew three times as fast as the overall population," Parker said. "And when we look at the number of ba- bies being born that are mixed race and the rise in interracial marriage, we can see that not only is it continuing to grow but the growth could accelerate in the future." The largest group of multiracial adults is bi- racial white and Native American, the report said, with 50 percent of the multiracial adults claim- ing that dual ancestry. Black and American In- dian adults make up 12 percent of the multiracial population, while those with a white and black background make up 11 percent. The biracial white and American Indians are also the one group "whose mem- bers are the least likely to consider themselves 'multi- racial,'" the report said. Bi- racial white-Asian adults were the most likely to say they were multiracial and to consider themselves multiracial. For many multiracial adults, their experiences are similar to those who identify themselves as single races. For example, 40 percent of mixed-race adults with a black back- ground said they have been unfairly stopped by the police because of their racial background. How- ever, only 6 percent of bi- racial white and Asian adults and 15 percent of white and American In- dian adults said they have had this experience. Racial identity can be fluid for some people and fixed for others, Parker said. Thirty percent of the multiracial adults said they had described themselves as something other than multiracial earlier in their lives, she said. "Being multiracial is not just a sum of the races in your family tree," she said. "It's also part of ex- periences and upbringing and it also can be fluid and change over the life course or when an individual is in a certain set of circum- stances." Biracial white and American Indians are the only multiracial group that leans toward the GOP, with the Republican Party hold- ing a 53-42 percent advan- tage over the Democrats, the report said. All of the other mixed-race groups — white-Asian, black-white, black-Native American, and black-white-Native American — favored the Democrats by large num- bers. Like the rest of the United States' demograph- ics, the composition of the mixed-race Americans is changing, the report noted. Thirty-six percent of mixed race babies born in 2012 were biracial white and black and 24 percent were biracial white and Asia. Only 12 percent were white and American In- dian, Parker said. "That doesn't necessar- ily dictate how they will identify when they grow up, but it's sort of an indi- cator of maybe a shifting composition," she said. MELTING POT White-Native American adults largest US multiracial group 5 things about trans fats and the FDA's proposed phase out By Janie Har The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco supervisors voted unanimously last week to approve health warnings on ads for sug- ary sodas and some other drinks, saying such bever- ages contribute to obesity, diabetes and other health problems. It's believed that San Francisco would be the first place in the country to require such a warning on ads for soda if it receives a second approval from the Board of Supervisors next week and the mayor does not veto it. John Maa, a general surgeon and member of the board of the Ameri- can Heart Association in San Francisco, which lob- bied for the ordinance, said it will seek to expand the warning requirement be- yond the city. Efforts to push a state- wide warning requirement failed this year as did a city ballot measure last year to impose a tax on sugary drinks. "Another attempt at the sugar-sweetened beverage tax is being considered," he said. The ordinance defines sugar-sweetened beverages as drinks with more than 25 calories from sweeten- ers per 12 ounces. So ad- vertising for such sodas as Coca-Cola Zero and other no-calorie drinks would not require a warning, but ads for regular Coca-Cola would. The ordinance also re- quires warnings for other products such as sports and energy drinks, vita- min waters and iced teas that exceed the 25 calorie limit. Milk and 100 per- cent natural fruit and veg- etable juice drinks are ex- empt. The label for billboards and other ads would read: "WARNING: Drinking bev- erages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, di- abetes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San Francisco." The ordinance would re- quire the warning on print advertising within city limits —billboards, walls, taxis and buses. It would not apply to ads appear- ing in newspapers, circu- lars, broadcast outlets or the Internet. Soda cans and bottles would not have to carry the warning. Supervisors quickly ap- proved the proposal with an 11-0 vote requiring the warning, as well as two other measures aimed at curbing sugary drink con- sumption. One proposal would prohibit soda ads on city- owned property, much like San Francisco does with tobacco and alcohol. An- other would prohibit city funds from being used to buy soda. BAY AREA Sa n Fr an ci sc o ap pr ov es h ea lt h warning on sugary drink ads JEFF CHIU — ASSOCIATED PRESS Supporters and opponents say San Francisco would be the first place in the country to require warnings on ads for soda, which is linked to rotting teeth and obesity. Serving Red Bluff for 30 years Look to us for Expert Eye Care. Board Certified by American Board of Ophthalmology Clinical Professor at UC Davis Medical Center Daniel M. King, M.D. Physician & Eye Surgeon 411 Cedar Street, Red Bluff (530) 527-6123 FrontierVillage Farmers Market NEW LOCATION HomeDepot Parking Lot June 20th, 8:00-12:30 CNAsPM's $1000 Sign-On Bonus at Red Bluff Health Care Call 527-6232 555 Luther Rd. 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